Borland was the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Wisconsin, where he had 420 tackles, the second-most forced fumbles (15) in FBS history and became the first Badgers linebacker since 1951 to be named a first-team All-American. Not bad for a 5-foot-11 guy with 29 ¼-inch arms who ran a 4.83-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

“There are a lot of guys that are great college players and can’t translate it to the NFL,” Fangio said. “And most of the time there are very tangible reasons for that. In his case, there’s a lot of people who didn’t think he would transfer to the NFL because of his lack of height, short arms and he’s not real fast – he doesn’t have burning speed.

“But he got such good instincts and knowledge of football — and he can make quick decisions — that he’s the type of guy that could prove people wrong. Only time will tell. His career at Wisconsin warranted him being drafted higher than he was. His physical question marks pushed him to where he was drafted. But he’s the kind of guy — and the type of player — that could prove people wrong.”

In college, Borland was routinely in the right place because of his instincts. And his nose for the ball has shown up in offseason. Last week, Jim Harbaugh said he probably leads the team in interceptions and deflected passes this spring.

“I understand why there are some doubting Thomases with him,” Fangio said. “I totally understand that. And they may end up being right. But this guy’s got such good instincts. For the safety and inside linebacker position, instincts needs to be at the top of the list when you’re evaluating them and he’s very strong there.”

Fangio said Borland could be similar in one respect to outside linebacker Cornelius Bennett, a five-time Pro Bowler he coached from 1999-2000 when he was the Colts defensive coordinator. Through Bennett, Fangio learned some players have special qualities that allow them to put their own fingerprints on their position. Fangio coached Bennett differently once he recognized his speed allowed him to make plays, even when he wasn’t in the right spot according to the playbook.

And he believes Borland’s instincts could earn him the same latitude.

“He’s the type of guy that when you coach him, you might have to coach a little different because of his instincts,” Fangio said. “Because he’s not always going to do the right thing – what the paper says he should do. But I think he’ll be right more than he’s wrong. And if he can prove that, you don’t touch it.”